Burrs are introduced during the sheet
metal
fabrication process. Sharp edges are produced wherever a cutting tool
has contacted the sheet metal and cut or removed material. This tool
contact edge is very sharp and referred to as a burr. These burrs
must be removed before the part is safe to handle. A hand file, belt
sander, straight line surface sanding and vibratory tumbling are all
viable methods of burr removal.
The main target of burr removal is the
burr
itself however processes like vibratory tumbling and straight-line
sanding are different they process the whole part during the burr
removal and leave behind a surface finish on the entire part while at
the same time removing burrs.
Timesaver sanding is a burr removal
process
that works like this. A wide horizontal conveyor belt rotates slowly
under a perpendicular positioned, fast moving, wide sanding belt. Sheet
metal is placed on the conveyor belt and is carried under the fast
moving sanding belt which sands one side of the sheet metal. The
sanding action removes burrs and leaves behind a straight line surface
finish. This is a very fast efficient process. See the animation above
for visual details.
Vibratory Tumbling is a process of
abrasive
contact machining. An abrasive ceramic shape called media is placed
into the vibratory bowl. The parts with sharp burrs are placed into the
vibratory bowl along with the ceramic media. The vibratory is turned on
and the media and parts begin to vibrate and tumble in a circular fluid
motion. This vibrating abrasive action smooths away sharp edges making
the part safe to handle. The vibratory will not change part dimensions
or remove large burrs, it only wares away sharp edges. If there are any
large protruding burrs they should be targeted for removal before
vibratory tumbling begins. This is a slow process the vibratory burr
removal action is thorough but gentle.
The hand file and 1 inch belt sander
are
efficient at targeted burr removal, specifically on part edges. To
deburr with a hand file is slow and cumbersome while the 1 inch belt
sander is fast and efficient, each one has its special time and place
and should not be overlooked.
